YANKING Synonyms: 60 Similar and Opposite Words

yanking

verb

present participle of yank

as in jerking

to move or cause to move with a sharp quick motion she stupidly yanked the wheel while I was driving

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in pulling

to draw out by force or with effort yanked out a tooth with a pair of pliers

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in grabbing

to separate or remove by forceful pulling grab the other one, and let's see if we can't yank these two grocery carriages apart

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

reattaching

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of yanking Shortly after, the video shows the same officer yanking him to the ground, punching and kicking him. — Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026 Zabransky was the first person to reach Rabb in the end zone, yanking him into the air for a bear hug. — Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 3 Oct. 2026 There’s also an ending that revels in a form of catharsis — for the audience watching the play, not the movie — before yanking that, too, away. — David MacK, CNN Money, 3 Oct. 2026 McCullough has left himself open to criticism by yanking several starting pitchers early in games, citing data that starters aren’t as effective when facing a batting order for a third time. — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 29 Sep. 2026 Sanders made field goals of 33, 51 and 52 yards, rebounding after yanking a 54-yard attempt short and left. — ABC News, 13 Sep. 2026 Sandra Ogbebor hunches over her softly humming refrigerator and scours through bottles before finally yanking out an orange juice. — Light Oriye Tamunotonye, Christian Science Monitor, 3 Sep. 2026 Video shows teams of workers yanking ropes to ferry locals who were stranded on an embankment flanked by a flooded river. — Robert McGreevy, FOXNews.com, 2 Sep. 2026 An Arkansas State Police trooper was captured on dashcam footage yanking the passenger of a vehicle by his hair and punching him in the face after a high-speed chase that ended in the streets of Blytheville. — Daniel McFadin, Arkansas Online, 31 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for yanking

Verb

And like any great sitcom, Friends runs the gamut from numbing brain-rot to tear-jerking sentimentality.

— Mack DeGeurin, Popular Science, 9 Sep. 2026
Even after a bailiff woke him up, Martin slumped over in his wheelchair, inside a courtroom bullpen, occasionally jerking and opening his eyes.

— Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of jerking

Verb

One of the most fun parts of writing comedy is coming up with alt after alt after alt for a joke, pulling ever-increasingly stupid punch lines out of one’s ass.

— Bethy Squires, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2026
The deputy made a U-turn and saw the man, who deputies say is 49-year-old Brenton Burke, kneeling under the truck’s steering column and pulling wires, the arrest report states.

— David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of pulling

Verb

Over recent years, ambitious and headline-grabbing solutions to transportation problems have been unveiled in South Florida, from vertical jet ports to autonomous vehicles.

— Sofia Zarran, Miami Herald, 22 Oct. 2026
Bailey kicked off the Lakers’ opening night by matching her powerful voice with an equally attention-grabbing shoe.

— Karla Rodriguez, Footwear News, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of grabbing

Verb

This is not easy for Robin (Griffin), who, judging by his nervously twitching legs and tendency to info-dump on interlocutors, finds ordinary interactions very stressful.

— Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 18 Sep. 2026
Green said his symptoms began when his feet started twitching in his sleep.

— ABC News, ABC News, 30 July 2026

Definition of twitching

Verb

Or two birds face-to-face in close proximity, covering themselves with their wings as if to share a secret kiss away from prying eyes, could evoke a giggle.

— Amarachi Orie, CNN Money, 6 Oct. 2026
Davidson was thrust into a reality-TV world of prying paparazzi and untold media scrutiny.

— Marlow Stern, Variety, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of prying

Verb

Sitting in a boat, tugging their house behind them, the journey initially appears to be going smoothly.

— Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 8 Oct. 2026
The sweet gallery opens with Rocki tugging at a large wig placed on her head as Rihanna can be heard laughing in the background.

— Mitchell Peters, Billboard, 27 Sep. 2026

Definition of tugging

Verb

In the Johnson administration, that has taken a back seat to extracting cash from those deemed by these redistributionists as having too much of it.

— The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 22 Oct. 2026
For supporters, the proposal represents an emergency fiscal response aimed at temporarily extracting revenue from unprecedented concentrations of wealth.

— Trevor Laurence Jockims, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of extracting

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yanked

yanking

yanks

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“Yanking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/yanking. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of yanking

verb

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